RSSSoftware Bug Stalls Prius Hybrid Cars
By Nate Mook | Published October 14, 2005, 12:45 PM
Toyota plans to notify buyers of its Prius hybrid that the car could potentially stall out while driving due to a software bug in the Electronic Control Module (ECM). The problem affects approximately 75,000 cars, although only 33 official complaints have been lodged thus far.
Due to the bug, the Prius' gasoline engine could stall out while driving between 35 and 65 miles per hour. However, the car's electric engine would take over, enabling a driver to safely reach the side of the road. Upon stopping, the gasoline engine would properly restart, Toyota says.
Aside from the complaints made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota has connected about 416 incidents to the software error and decided to contact customers about the defect. No injuries or accidents have been attributed to the bug, the company says.
Customers will receive a notice later this month instructing them to take their Prius to a dealer for the free software upgrade that resolves the problem. Aside from the bug in the ECM, Toyota will also fix a mechanical problem that can lead to stalling as well.
"This remedy should address most of the incidents," Toyota said on its Web site.
The Prius has become a hot seller this past year as gasoline prices continue to soar. September sales were up 90 percent from 2004, and Toyota expects to sell upwards of 200,000 Prius hybrids next year alone. With its gas and electric engine working in unison, the Prius can average close to 50 miles per gallon and never needs a charge.
I hope they develop more better technology and spend more money on this technology.
and then make it available in may of their cars. now we cannot find prius in Asia pasific. I dont know why. because it is good, especially when the oil price go up crazily
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|I've ridden in a Prius. They're nice and the technology is promising.
But on the other hand, in March of 2003 we bought a Jetta diesel with stickshift for $16,500 and my wife's last three tankfuls of fuel have gone 51.8, 51.8 and 50.9 mpg.
Why would I buy a smaller car, with less cargo space, with more (and more expensive) things to fail on it, for considerably more money, and be rewarded with the same highway mpg?
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|bluetooth handsfree, gps, keyless entry and startup, auto climate control, AT-PZEV (partial zero emissions ... this is what gets you the tax credit) ... i didn't research your car but those are some of the other things that likely differeniate the two besides just the mpg.
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|Why would you get a prius based solely on mileage? there are already cars out there that are far cheaper, with slightly worse mileage. It would take like 15 years to pay for a prius compared to a small sized honda civic, for example.
Buy the prius because of other factors, but certainly not only mpg ratings...
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|Don't forget tax breaks and carpool lane priviliges Prius buyers also receive. MPG is a major reason people are buying it, but there are other benefits as well.
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|bingo.
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|"Customers will receive a notice later this month instructed them to..."
"instructing"
That it all.
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|*ahem*
"That IS all"
lol... didn't this just happen last week too?
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|i wish toyota had recalled the prius seven months earlier ... back when mine had the same problem.
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|Two words: "Automobile virus"
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|and this applies directly to the prius how?
any car that uses sensors to detect the motion of the wheel and a "computer" that applies assistive power via electric motors is just as susceptible. do you have any idea how much of the car you drive is controlled by code?
quick: now make an argument that a diesel car is the same as the prius because the gas mileage is roughly the same.
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|It was a joke, and a funny one (I thought). Not everything should be taken so seriously.
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|there's already enough out there [that i've heard first hand] that either isn't true or isn't an exclusive possibility with the prius without without tacking this on top ... how many people do you think would have believed him?
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|If someone believed him, they would, and probably do, believe anything they were told. Therefore, they're already hopeless anyway.
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|I want to get one too!
Gas price is expensive as hell!
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|depending on what you had before the prius it could take you 5-10 years to save as much in gas bills as you payed out [extra] for the prius.
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|If you live in the USA then no it isn't all that expensive when compared to much of the rest of the planet. In fact most would love to pay as little as you do for a gallon of gas, that is if you live in the USA.
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|what about diesel hybrids?
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|you'll have to do your own math on other cars. my math was based on a car that would get around 30 mpg and would cost you 15-20k.
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